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Van Draak International Airport
Karl Van Draak International Airport (KVD) is a former international airport in Brunant near Cape Cross. It is located approximately nine kilometers southeast of the city center of Cape Cross, and about one hundred kilometers from the capital, Koningstad. It was named after the first semi-democratic monarch. Since Koningstad International Airport opened, the airport has began transferring many of its flights to Koningstad. However, the airport may remain in service with fewer flights. On January 2, 2012, Van Draak officials announced that the airport would be downgraded into a domestic airport on March 1, 2012--the same date that Koningstad International would begin service to its last set of international flights. On June 1, 2012, due to popular protests and lobbying by airlines, officials said a few flights from Europe would resume service, although most flights would remain solely in Koningstad. History Early history An airfield near Cape Cross was built from mid-1919, as plans for an air force were being undertaken. The cancellation of that project in the summer of 1920 saw the airfield partially finished and left unpaved. In the 1930s it was often used by private cars for racing. In 1927 the first civilian flight landed in Cape Cross, and by 1932 there were several flights in and out monthly. During the German invasion in May 1941, the airfield was captured without resistance, allowing the landing of many German aircraft, though larger planes were unable to make use of it. By the end of that year, the Germans expanded and paved the airstrip, and added a small control booth to make a permanent military airfield. In the early stages of liberation in April 1944, the U.S. air force destroyed German planes on the runway and accidentally bombed several sections, rendering it unusable. Postwar years In the late 1940s it was agreed to rebuild the airfield, with the paving of the airfield completed in 1948. Further air travel in the early 1950s was making use of the of the airfield, and for the first time some world leaders landed there on visits to Brunant, but was quickly being considered inadequate. It was eventually decided in 1956 to expand the Cape Cross Airfield into an airport. Construction began in 1957 and the airport was fully finished by 1961. Two longer landing strips were built, in anticipation of mid-sized jet travel, hangars were placed, and a modern terminal was completed. The Crown Prince and Princess inaugurated the opening of Cape Cross Airport. Nationale Luchtwegen and RIAL were the first airlines to fly from here, and RIAL was the first with a jet-airplane service, in 1965. During the Cold War, Cape Cross Airbase was also home to a squadron of USAF fighter jets, housed from 1965 and removed in 1988. Cape Cross Airport was renamed to Van Draak International on 2 July 1970. There is also a small airplane museum there. Most of the operations moved to Koningstad International Airport in early 2012, therefore relieving much of the air traffic to the city. Most foreign operators still want to operate here, citing it is "good enough for our passengers" and "it's always been home sweet home". On June 1, 2012, some flights from Europe resumed service due to popular demand. The only civilian incidents at the airport were minor; in 1952 a DC-3 crashed on landing and 6 people were injured, and the 1957 Ambassador Air Disaster (near the airport was the only fatal one. Airlines Terminal 1; the largest terminal, which was built in 1958. Terminal 2 has become an airport simulation area. * Brunant Air: to Koningstad International Airport, Brunantstad Airport * FlyBlue: to Rosetown Regional Airport * Alitalia: to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport * British Airways: to London Heathrow Airport Category:Airports Category:Cape Cross